Newsletter of the Indian Academy of Sciences

Inside...

1. Platinum Jubilee Meeting – I,Hyderabad .......................................1

2. Platinum Jubilee MeetingProgrammes, Bangalore ...............4

3. Associates – 2009 ..........................6

4. Special issues of Journals.............7

5. Refresher Courses..........................9

6. Lecture Workshops.......................12

7. Women in Science........................19

8. Post-School Science TeachingProgrammes ..................................20

9. Building – Additional Space.......21

10. Obituaries. ......................................21

2009 Platinum Jubilee Meeting – IThe annual meetings of the Academy aregenerally held at various cities other thanBangalore. Two exceptions are the GoldenJubilee meeting (which was to have been heldat Bangalore in November 1984, but waspostponed to early 1985 on account of the tragicpassing of Smt. Indira Gandhi) and the DiamondJubilee Meeting in 1994. Similarly the series ofmid-year meetings initiated in 1990 have beenheld at Bangalore each year, except for oneoccasion when it took place in Mysore. Thisyear 2009, being the Platinum Jubilee Year ofthe Academy, three meetings by way ofcelebration have been organized: The usual Mid-Year Meeting was at Hyderabad, July 2–4; theAnnual Meeting at Bangalore, November 12–14; and one more at Mumbai during December3–5, as part of the Homi Bhabha centenarycelebrations. These three meetings aredesignated as Platinum Jubilee Meetings I, II,and III.

The first meeting in July 2009 at Hyderabadwas co-hosted by the Indian Institute ofChemical Technology and the Centre for Cellular

Platinum Jubilee 1934-2009

D Balasubramanian

Lalji Singh

September 2009No. 50

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EDITORN Mukunda

Published byIndian Academy of SciencesBangalore 560 080, IndiaPhone: (080) 2361 2546, 2361 4592email: office@ias.ernet.in

This Newsletter is available on theAcademy website at: www.ias.ac.in/patrika/

To receive a regular copy of theNewsletter, please write to theExecutive Secretary of the Academy(chandra@ias.ernet.in)

Forthcoming Events – 2009Refresher Courses

1. Experimental physics XVII : 26 October – 9 November 2009Carmel College, Goa

2. Experimental physics XVIII : 23 November – 8 December 2009 University of Calicut

3. Theoretical physics, : 7 – 19 December 2009 Bishop Moore College, Mavelikara

4. Biotechnology and modern molecular : 11 – 23 January 2010 biology techniques Manipal University, Manipal

5. Experimental physics XIX : 7 – 23 January 2010 Karnatak University

6. Experimental physics XX : 24 May – 9 June 2010 Manipal University, Manipal

7. Frontiers in atmospheric : 14 – 25 June 2010

sciences, IITM, Pune

Lecture Workshops1. Biotechnology in modern medicine : 23 – 24 October 2009 PES College, Bangalore

2. Nano-materials and technology in chemistry : 23 – 25 October 2009 and green chemistry Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technology, Sikkim

3. Evolution : 20 – 21 November 2009 Aurora College, Hyderabad

4. Planet G : 24 – 25 November 2009 Jai Hind College, Mumbai

5. Contemporary issues in biology : 3 – 4 December 2009

University of Mysore

6. Recent advances in spectroscopy: : 18 – 19 January 2010 Theory, instrumentation and applications Lady Doak College, Madurai

7. Structure, function and design of biomolecules : 28 – 29 January 2010 Bharathiar University, Coimbatore

8. Diffraction : 26 – 28 February 2010

University of Mysore

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and Molecular Biology. The attendance by Fellows,Associates and invited teachers was encouraging. Manyof the lectures were extremely informative, some thingsthat remain in one's memory are recalled below.

In his welcome address, Academy PresidentD Balasubramanian dwelt on the scale and variousefforts to mitigate the problems of impaired vision, bothworldwide and in India. The eye being an isolated organof the body, its diseases are in a sense easy to treat.Even gene-based methods are in principle available,as injected genes do not migrate to other parts of thebody. There are about 40 million blind in the world (8million of them in India). Of them 47% or 18 millionsuffer from cataract which is easy to handle; while12% are glaucoma or increased ocular pressure cases.There are 15,000 ophthalmologists in India, and animportant target is to reduce the incidence of eyediseases by a factor of two by 2020. The L V PrasadEye Institute in Hyderabad has over the years built upa very carefully thought out rural eye care model, nowoperating throughout Andhra Pradesh. This is apyramidal scheme, with small-sized rural care centrestackling simpler problems locally, while morecomplicated cases are referred to successively moresophisticated centres. Such a model has been shownto work very well, and should be copied by other statesin the country.

Lalji Singh's special lecture on 'Genetic diversity inIndian populations and its implications in health anddisease' was remarkably illuminating in many ways.Research by his group attempts to shed new light onthe history of the human race. Anatomically modernhumans arose in Africa about 160,000 years ago.Periods of drought some 135,000 years to 70,000 yearsago in and around present-day Malawi led to a majorexodus from Africa to other parts of the globe some65,000 to 70,000 years ago. One of these streamstook the Southern route passing through India and thenonwards to the Andamans and Australia. (In comparison,the populations of the Nicobar islands came much morerecently, about 12,000 to 18,000 years back, from Chinaand the Malay peninsula). The genetic diversity of theIndian population far exceeds that of Europe as well asChina, being made up of about 4600 culturally andanthropologically distinct groups. There are 'social' limitsto gene flow. As a consequence, genetic analyses ofdisease patterns can yield information on history ofmigration. As a rule, Indians are more prone to heart-related diseases than any other group anywhere. Aparticular single-gene defect leads to heart failure withno prior warning by about 50; two such defects limit lifespan to 2 to 5 years. More generally, many diseaseswe face are 'our own', and western drugs are not suitedto our population. All in all, so much learnt so far, somuch left to learn!

The Symposium on'Darwin and evolution'was remarkable for therange of topics covered.Conceived, organizedand introduced byVidyanand Nanjundiah,it had presentations onplanetary scale events,origins and develop-ment of south Asian

photographs by RajaDeen Dayal, the work ofRonald Ross in 1897,and the Salar Jungmuseum which is thelargest single-person artcollection in the world.The quality of the lecturedid justice to the qualityof the available material.

The meeting included a special lecture by SurendraPrasad on VDSL technology and a second PublicLecture by W Selvamurthy entitled life sciences inservices of soldiers. Prasad's talk was on the challengingtask of providing high speed bandwidths to ‘everhungrier’ users of new technologies – the Very HighSpeed Digital Subscriber Line (or the VDSL). Twentyfour newly elected Fellows and Associates presentedtheir research work. The three-day programme concludedwith a brief symposium on ‘Ethnoarchaeology: rock artin peninsular India’.

Narender Luther

languages, genetic perspectives on the peopling of India(we are identified by our molecules!), cultural evolutionas seen in Indian temples over the centuries, and theimpact of Darwinism on the study of history. All ofthese led to animated discussions, and the symposiumas a whole was a most appropriate celebration of theDarwin bicentennial year.

The first Public Lecture by Narender Luther on the‘History and heritage of twin cities’ – Hyderabad andSecunderabad – was a beautifully illustrated presentationcovering four centuries of their existence. It recalledto mind the lecture on Delhi at the November 2008meeting of the Academy. Many images had an arrestingquality – the strange shapes of rocks in the region(some of them being destroyed as the cities expand),the 14th century Golconda fort of the Kakatiyas, theoldest and largest tree of the country within the fort,among others. Other ‘treasures’ of the cities and regionthat caught one’s attention are the story of Bhagmati,the Kohinoor diamond found in 1656, the period

Surendra Prasad

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12 – 14 November 2009

Programme12 November 2009 (Thursday)

0930 – 1145 Inaugural Session

Welcome by the President andIntroduction of Fellows

Release of Special Platinum JubileePublications:(1) Current Trends in Science(2) Directory of Fellows

Messages by former AcademyPresidents; Royal Society, Third WorldAcademy of Sciences, GermanAcademy, Pakistan Academy,Bangladesh Academy and others

Presidential address byD BalasubramanianStem cell biology and an example ofits use in vision science

Platinum Jubilee special lecture byC N R RaoEmerging India as a great centre ofscience

1230 – 1330 Lectures by Fellows/Associates

1230 – 1250 Hemalatha Balaram, JNCASR,BangaloreMetabolism in the malarial parasitePlasmodium falciparum

1250 – 1310 R Srianand, IUCAA, PuneCold gas at high redshifts

1310 – 1330 D D Dhavale, University of Pune, PuneIminosugars as glycosidase inhibitorsand immunomodulatory agents

1300 – 1430 Lunch break

1430 – 1700 Symposium I – Climate change: An

PLATINUM JUBILEEMEETING – IIBANGALORE

Indian perspective(Convener: J Srinivasan)

1430 – 1500 J Srinivasan, IISc, BangaloreClimate change: Science, technologyand policy

1500 – 1530 Pramod Aggarwal, IARI, New DelhiClimate change and Indian agriculture

1530 – 1600 Tea break

1600 – 1630 Mala Rao, Indian Institute of PublicHealth, HyderabadThe health impacts of climate changein India

1630 – 1700 Navroz Dubash, JNU, New DelhiWhat should be India's strategy in theclimate negotiations?

1700 – 1730 Tea break

1730 – 1830 Public Lecture INandan Nilekani, Chairman, UniqueIdentification Authority of India, NewDelhiUnique identification project

1900 – 2015 Cultural Programme

13 November 2009 (Friday)

0900 – 1200 Symposium II – Navigation andcommunication – what we can learnfrom insects?(Convener: R Gadagkar)

0900 – 0910 R Gadagkar, IISc, BangaloreIntroduction

0910 – 0935 Rudiger Wehner, University of Zurich,ZurichA neuroethologist's look into the cockpitof an insect navigator

0935 – 1000 Rohini Balakrishnan, IISc, BangaloreAcoustic communication in crickets:From biophysics to behavioural ecology

1000 – 1025 Sanjay Sane, NCBS, BangaloreThe aerodynamics of flapping flight

1025 – 1100 Tea break

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1100 – 1125 Debashish Chowdhury, IIT, KanpurAnt traffic: Marching soldiers ordisciplined drivers?

1125 – 1150 R Gadagkar, IISc, BangaloreCommunication of social status in aprimitively eusocial wasp

1150 – 1200 Discussion

1200 – 1240 Special LectureM R S Rao, JNCASR, BangaloreGenomic and system approaches tounderstand the biology of cellulardifferentiation and disease

1240 – 1400 Lunch break

1400 – 1600 Symposium III – Ramanspectroscopy(Convener: S Umapathy)

1400 – 1430 Hiro–o Hamaguchi, University of Tokyo,JapanRaman spectroscopic view of life

1430 – 1500 Volker Deckert, Friedrich–Schiller–Universität, Jena, GermanyRaman spectroscopy beyond thediffraction limit

1500 – 1530 A W Parker, Rutherford AppletonLaboratory, UKSeeing below surfaces: Developmentsin Raman spectroscopy for chemicaland medical analysis

1530 – 1600 Juergen Popp, Friedrich–Schiller–Universitat, Jena, GermanyRaman spectroscopy: A unique tool forlife science research

1600 – 1630 Tea break

1630 – 1710 Lectures by Fellows/Associates

1630 – 1650 V Ramgopal Rao, IIT, MumbaiPolymer-based sensor systems forhealthcare and homeland securityapplications

1710 –1745 Tea break

1745 – 1845 Business Meeting of Fellows

1900 – 2000 Public Lecture IISir Mark Tully, Former Chief of Bureau,BBC, New DelhiThe need for balance in an unbalancedworld

14 November 2009 (Saturday)

0900 – 1020 Lectures by Fellows/Associates

0900 – 0920 Joydev Chattopadhyay, ISI, KolkataPrey–predator functional response:Current research and paradigm shift

0920 – 0940 Jaya S Tyagi, AlIMS, New DelhiUnravelling secrets of a sleepingmicrobe: The curious case of the TBpathogen

0940 – 1000 S Kesavan, IMSc, ChennaiHomogenization and optimal control

1000 – 1020 Arun K Nandi, IACS, KolkataMultifunctional poly-(vinylidene fluoride)using supramolecular interactions

1020 – 1050 Tea break

1050 – 1230 Lectures by Fellows/Associates

1050 – 1110 T Kavitha, IISc, BangaloreEfficient graph algorithms

1110 – 1130 Anil Grover, University of Delhi SouthCampus, New DelhiMolecular components involved inmounting response to high temperaturestress in rice

1130 – 1150 Chetan E Chitnis, ICGEB, New DelhiRational design of a malaria vaccine

1150 – 1210 S Sampath, IISc, BangaloreInterfacial electrochemistry usingfunctionalized surfaces

1210 – 1230 Vikram Tripathi, TIFR, MumbaiNMR as a probe for strongly correlatedelectron behaviour in mesoscopicdevices

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ASSOCIATES – 2009

Ananth, SudarshanIndian Institute of Science Education andResearch, PuneTheoretical particle physics; quantum fieldtheory

Banerjee, RahulNational Chemical Laboratory, PuneCrystal engineering; metal organicframework; hydrogen bonding

Bhavesh, Neel SarovarInternational Centre for Genetic Engineering& Biotechnology, New DelhiStructural biology; NMR spectroscopy

Biswas, KRamakrishna Mission VivekanandaUniversity, Belur Math, HowrahHolomorphic dynamics; complex analysis;Riemann surfaces

Chauhan, SantoshAll India Institute of Medical Sciences, NewDelhiMolecular biology; microbiology;biochemistry

Dabeer, Onkar JayantTata Institute of Fundamental Research,MumbaiWireless communications; estimationtheory; information theory

Dewangan, PawanNational Institute of Oceanography, GoaSeismic wave propagation in anisotropicmedium; exploration of gas hydrates;physical properties of shallow marinesediment

Ghosh, SuhritIndian Association for the Cultivation ofScience, KolkataPolymer chemistry; supramolecularchemistry; surfactant aggregates

Gogate, Parag RInstitute of Chemical Technology, MumbaiCavitational reactors; waste watertreatment; process intensification

Hum ChandAryabhatta Research Institute ofObservational Sciences, NainitalCosmological variation of fundamentalconstant; active galactic nuclei; centralengine; quasar absorption lines

Mahapatra, SantanuIndian Institute of Science, BangaloreCompact modelling; nanoelectronics; VLSI

Maji, PradiptaIndian Statistical Institute, KolkataPattern recognition; soft computing andmachine learning; bioinformatics

Malik, SudipIndian Association for the Cultivation ofScience, KolkataElectroluminescent polymers; clays;conducting polymers; small molecular gels

Mandal, SumantraIndira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research,KalpakkamThermo-mechanical processing; grainboundary engineering; materials modelling

Manjunath, KrishnapurIndian Institute of Science, BangaloreProbability theory

Mukhopadhyay, SamratIndian Institute of Science Education andResearch, MohaliProtein folding and misfolding; singlemolecule biophysics; biologicalfluorescence spectroscopy

Nagendran, SelvarajanIndian Institute of Technology, New DelhiInorganic chemistry; main group organo -metallic chemistry; polymer chemistry

Patil, Satish AIndian Institute of Science, BangalorePolymer chemistry

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Microelectromechanicalsystems

SPECIAL ISSUESOF JOURNALS

Guest Editors: Rudra Pratap and K N BhatSadhana, Vol. 34, No. 4, August 2009, pp. 529–688

where realization of a MEMS device or structure usingconventional CMOS processes or their variants wasthe centre of excitement. Slowly, it gave way todevelopment of new materials, new processes, finerstructures and new devices. Once the fabricationprocesses got established and commercial MEMSfoundries came into existence, the focus shifted toMEMS design and system development. After thelaunch of a few commercially successful MEMSdevices, the research focus shifted to exploration ofvast areas of applications. Application areas havestarted creating their own segments of MEMS researchand its has now become common to see internationalconferences dedicate sessions to bio-MEMS, opticalMEMS, inertial MEMS, RF MEMS, and the like. Asmore researchers join the fray, the overlapping researchareas benefit both from intense vertical investigationsand cross-fertilization of ideas and methods fromneighbouring areas. The intensity of research has grownfacilities to carry out sophisticated tests and fabricationhave mushroomed and the desire to make myriadMEMS sensors and actuators has intensified. Still, atthe current rate of development there is plenty of roomat the bottom.

In India, MEMS research has paralleled thedevelopments elsewhere over the last two decades,lagging behind only marginally due to infrastructuralconstraints. Some national initiatives, notably, theNational Programme on Smart Systems (NPMASS),

Pradeep Singh, N DIndian Institute of Technology, KharagpurFunctional group photolithography and itsapplication; design and synthesis of newPRPGs; solid state photochemistry

Roy, DebdasNational Institute of Foundry and ForgeTechnology, RanchiNanomaterials, composite materials;biomaterials

Saha, Binoy KrishnaPondicherry University, PondicherryCrystal engineering

Saxena, ManojDeen Dayal Upadhyaya College, New DelhiMicroelectronics; semiconductor devicemodelling; nanoscale device simulation

Singh, SanjayIndian Institute of Science Education andResearch, MohaliInorganic chemistry; organometallicchemistry; materials chemistry

Sunil Chandran, LIndian Institute of Science, BangaloreGraph theory; theoretical computer science;graph algorithms

Thilagar, PakkirisamyIndian Institute of Science, BangalorePolymer chemistry: nanomaterials:electronic materials and catalysis; maingroup organometallics

Venugopal, SanthanamIndian Institute of Science, BangaloreNanoparticle engineering; nanoscale productdesign; energy conversion

Viswanath, SankaranIndian Institute of Science, BangaloreInfinite dimensional Lie algebras; Coxetergroups

As a field, microe l e c t r o m e c h a n i c a lsystems (MEMS) hasmatured over the last twodecades with severalscientific journalsdedicated to it. Thesejournals have brought outthe interdisciplinary natureof research that the fielddemands. In thebeginning, most paperswere process-centric

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have provided tremendous impetus to MEMS research.Starting from hardly two small MEMS research groupsin the country in the early nineties to tens of researchgroups in universities and national laboratories today,and establishment of MEMS foundries likeSemiconductor Laboratories, Chandigarh, CentralElectronics Engineering Research Institute, Pilani, andBharat Electronics Limited, Bangalore, MEMS researchin India has started flourishing. The number of paperspresented by Indian researchers in national andinternational conferences in this area has increased tytwo orders of magnitude. These are truly excitingdevelopments.

In 2007, the International Union of Materials ResearchSocieties (IUMRS) organized the Tenth InternationalConference on Advanced Materials (ICAM 2007) inBangalore. This conference included a themesymposium on MEMS that spanned three days withpaper presentations covering various aspects of MEMStechnology. Of the papers presented at the symposium,fifteen were selected after due process of reviewing.These fifteen papers attempt to present a cross-sectionof MEMS research spanning work on novel MEMSmaterials, process technologies, devices, applications,design and simulation, fabrication and testing, and evensystem integration.

Current trends in physicsGuest Editors: Mustansir Barma and D D SarmaPramana, Vol. 73, No.1, July 2009, pp. 1–214

In 1974, the Russian physicist Vitaly Ginzburg wrote abook entitled Key problems of physics and astrophysicsin which he presented a selection of important andchallenging problems along with speculations on whatthe future holds. The selection had a broad range, washighly personalized, and was aimed at the generalscientist, for whom it made very interesting reading.

Thirty odd years later as part of the Platinum JubileeYear of the Academy, the Academy decided tocommission articles from fellow physicists, which wouldconstitute part of a special volume ‘Current trends inscience’ being brought out on this occasion. The fivearticles included in this volume are briefly explainedhere. Although necessarily different in scope and stylefrom Ginzburg's book, there are some similarities: the

choice of topics is subjective and the contributionsconvey important and challenging problems – both solvedand unsolved – to the interested scientist.

Sunil Mukhi and Probir Roy trace developments intheoretical high energy physics, which they call the‘cutting edge of the human scientific endeavour’, fromthe Standard Model and its inadequacies, to string theory.G Baskaran focusses on variations on the theme ofresonating valence bond (RVB) behaviour to explainboth high-temperature superconductivity and anomalousbehaviour in the normal phase in a variety of correlatedsystems. G Ravindra Kumar sheds light on light and itsinteraction with matter. Technical breakthroughs suchas chirping allow ultra-high fields to be created in pulses,resulting in completely new behaviour when they interactwith hot, dense matter. R Pandit, P Perlekar andS Sankar Ray focus on turbulence, ‘the last greatunsolved problem of classical physics’. An overview ofthe statistical description of fluid turbulence is presented,including 2-d turbulence, the passive scalar problemand the effect of polymer additives. R Nityananda dealswith gravitational dynamics on the galactic scale. Gravityleads to counter-intuitive effects, and normal statisticalmechanical notions do not apply. Issues addressedinclude the Antonov instability, and the multiplicity ofpossible stable solutions in collisionless stellar systems.

Non-hermitian hamiltonians inquantum physicsGuest Editors: Sudhir R Jain and Zafar AhmedPramana, Vol. 73, Nos 2/3, August/September 2009,pp. 215–626

The thirteenth conferencein the series, ‘Non-hermitian hamilt- oniansin quantum physics’, washeld at BARC and TIFR,Mumbai in January 2009.It was also the first HomiBhabha CentenaryConference for 2009.About 160 participantsattended the conferencewhich consisted of 4review talks, 3 keynotetalks, 20 plenary talks,26 specialized talks, and 13 poster presentations.

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About ten years ago, a possible generalization ofquantum mechanics, which incorporates non-hermitianhamiltonians was proposed by Bender and Boettcher.This led to a large flurry of research on PT-symmetricquantum mechanics and quantum field theory. Thephysical systems that violate parity and time-reversalsymmetry belong to this class – they include two-dimensional statistical mechanics, certain models inquantum chromodynamics, nuclei with PT-symmetricshapes, and so on. Broadly, the themes addressedduring the conference were: PT-symmetry and pseudo-hermiticity, open quantum systems, non-equilibriumstatistical mechanics, random matrix and field-theoreticmodels, and quantum computation.

The two special issues of Pramana contain the originalresults announced at the conference, in addition to twomini-reviews from pedagogical talks presented a daybefore the conference started.

REFRESHER COURSESJointly sponsored by IASc (Bangalore)INSA (New Delhi) and NASI (Allahabad)

1. Motivational bridge course inphysicsGogate–Joglekar College, Ratnagiri23 March 2009 – 11 April 2009

No. of participants: About 67 students and teachersfrom Gogate–Joglekar College, Ratnagiri and nearbycolleges.

Course Director: S Ananthakrishnan (Pune University).

Course Co-ordinators: G V Kelkar (President, IAPT,Maharashtra), S A Deo, K V Sukhatankar (Gogate –Joglekar College, Ratnagiri), A W Joshi, AnjaliKshirsagar (Pune University).

Resource Persons: J V Narlikar and Mangala Narlikar(IUCCA, Pune), R Nityananda (NCRA, Pune), ArvindKumar and Shirish Pathore (Homi Bhabha Centre,Mumbai), S H Patel (IIT, Mumbai), Suresh Chandra(SRTM University, Nanded), M V Jakale (ShivajiUniversity, Kolhapur), Atul Mody (Vivekananda College,Mumbai), A D Gangal (University of Pune), MaheshShetti (Wilson College, Mumbai).

Local Speakers: Rajashree Thakur, A W Joshi, AnjaliKhirsagar, Satish Nayak, K V Sukhthankar, B D Sutar,S S Sahasrabudhe.

The state of higher education in science, particularly inphysics and mathematics at the undergraduates levelis of concern and addressed in many fora. The IAPT(Maharashtra and Goa regions) initiated a summerschool in Thane for undergraduates in physics to exciteand motivate them. Based on the positive feedbackreceived, the present programme entitled ‘Motivationalbridge course in mathematical method and laboratoryexperiment course in mathematical method andlaboratory experiment and practices’ was proposed.This was essentially meant for first and second yearBSc students in small cities and towns in rural areasof Maharashtra and Goa region. The first of these wasthus organized at Ratnagiri in Maharashtra.

The objectives of the course were:(a) understand the intricacies of mathematics(b) understand the relationship between physics

and mathematics;(c) be able to translate physics into mathe-

matics and vice versa;(d) understand and appreciate physics better

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(e) appreciate better and clean laboratorypractices;

(f) plan and design an experiment;(g) think of simple, innovative, open-ended

experiments;(h) become good graduates;(i) to remove fear of physics and math among

students;(j) face competitive exams of different kinds;(k) face interviews.

The academic programme included the following topics:symmetries in physics; complex algebra; calculus;thermodynamics and kinetic theory; matrix algebra;probability and statistics; ordinary differential equations;orthogonal co-ordinate systems; vector algebra; vectorcalculus; calculations in special relativity.

Resource Persons: R Srinivasan (Bangalore), S MSadique (Goa), KRS Priolkar, Efrem D’Sa (GoaUniversity), S B Gudennavar (Christ University).

Resource Persons: Prabhakar Ranjekar, Sudha Gangal,Alpana Moghe, Snehil Jaiswal, Prachi (Rajiv GandhiInstitute of IT & Biotechnology, Pune).

Rajiv Gandhi Institute is a young institute, teachingATC at UG as well as PG level and has a fairly goodlaboratory set-up. Considering the need to spreadtechnology to needy colleges in the country, it wasdecided to organize the Refresher Course.

2. Experimental physics – XIVAlagappa University, Karaikudi7 – 22 May 2009

No. of participants: About 30 students and teachersfrom Alagappa University and nearby colleges.

Course Director: R Srinivasan (Bangalore).

Course Co-ordinator: C Sanjeeviraja (AlagappaUniversity).

The programme generally consisted of a lecture in themorning followed by practicals. The participants weredivided into 2 batches of 10 each. While one batch didthe sterile work in the hoods, the other did the non-sterile work according to a prescribed schedule withsmall variations depending on the availability of cellculture.

Topics of lectures: Overview of ATC; hybridomatechnique for development of monoclonal antibodies;physicochemical properties of media such as pH,temperature, gaseous phase requirements of cells;maintenance of cell culture; cryopreservation;cytotoxicity; upscaling; characterization of cells grownin culture; cytogenetic abnormalities shown by cells;importance of mutagenesis assays using tissue culturesystems; stem cell biology; how viruses can be grownin simple explant cultures without sophisticatedequipment; development of a culture system to observegrowth of chick embryo; use of tissue culture systemsfor studies to replace animals; use of cell culture froma variety of wild animals.

The practical sessions were devoted to the following:Feeding of cell cultures; preparation of synthetic mediumused in ATC and its sterilization by filtration; subculturingof cells and counting of viable cells; staining of cellswith giemsa; primary cultures of chick embryofibroblasts; sterility test medium; virus titration assay;chromosome preparations; growth curve analysis;cytotoxicity assays; tracheal organ culture; shell-lesschick embryo cultures; practical demonstration for

3. Animal and plant tissue cultureRajiv Gandhi Institute of IT & Biotechnology, Pune11 – 23 May 2009

No. of participants: 21 teachers.

Course Director: Sudha Gangal (Rajiv Gandhi Instituteof IT & Biotechnology, Pune).

Course Co-ordinator: Alpana Moghe (Rajiv GandhiInstitute of IT & Biotechnology, Pune).

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separation of human peripheral blood lymphocytes onFico-Hypaque gradient, collection of lymphocytes fromthe gradient and culturing.

Visits were arranged to the Serum Institute, which isinvolved in production of vaccines for many viraldiseases, as well as to the Interactive Research Schoolfor Health Affairs (IRSHA). A one-day excursion withinPune was also organized. The participants were alsogiven two books: 1. Principles and practice of animaltissue culture, Universities Press, Hyderabad.2. In vitro cultivation of animal cells, Elsevier.

4. Experimental physics – XVMangalore University, Mangalore1 – 16 June 2009

No. of participants: 33 teachers from various collegesin Mangalore.

Course Director: R Srinivasan (Bangalore).

Course Co-ordinator: Manjunatha Pattabi, MangaloreUniversity.

Resource Persons: R Srinivasan (Bangalore),KRS Priolkar, S M Saddique (Goa University), EfremD’Sa (Carmel College, Goa), Gnana Prakash (MysoreUniversity).

As has been the practice with the Experimental PhysicsRefresher Courses organized of late, this course wasrestricted to participants from colleges affiliated toMangalore University where physics is taught at theundergraduate level. Twentynine colleges wererepresented at the Course. R Srinivasan, the CourseDirector, outlined the spirit of the course and explainedhow many of the experiments carried out at theundergraduate and postgraduate levels with outdatedequipment can be performed with better precision, betteraccuracy and less difficulty. Lectures were followed by

laboratory experiments using kits developed for theAcademy at the initiative of R Srinivasan. These kitswere gifted by the Academy to the Mangalore Universityfor conducting this course.

5. Experimental chemistryUniversity of Hyderabad, Hyderabad15 – 29 June 2009

No. of participants: 20 University/College teachersfrom across India.

Course Director: Anunay Samanta (University ofHyderabad, Hyderabad).

Resource Persons: K C Kumara Swamy,P Raghavaiah, D Basaviah, R Nagarajan, L Guruprasad,S Pal, P K Panda, D B Ramachary, R Sridhar,M Durga Prasad, S Mahapatra, K Muralidharan, T Jana,V Baskar, M J Swamy, T P Radhakrishnan, A Nangia,M V Rajasekharan (University of Hyderabad).

This course was formulated with a view to strengthenthe experimental chemistry programmes at theundergraduate and postgraduate levels in the country.The course involved experiments covering all majorbranches of chemistry. Preparation, purification andcharacterization of organic compounds; preparation ofcis- and trans-bis (glycinato) copper (II) and tris(thiourea) copper (I) complex; exploitation of computersfor understanding chemical problems; synthesis ofpolystyrene by emulsion polymerization. Theexperiments were designed such that the chemicalsand minor equipment used in the course wereinexpensive and amenable for easy implementation atthe college/university level. The course comprised 13laboratory experiments; 13 lectures and 1 demonstrationexperiment. The laboratory experiment can be broadlycategorized as follows: 3 in organic chemistry, 4 ininorganic chemistry, 3 in physical chemistry, 2 in

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materials chemistry and 1 in computational chemistry.Each day started with a lecture by a resource persongiving a brief outline of his research activities followedby detailed instructions for the laboratory experimentscheduled for the day. Each participant was provideda laboratory experiment scheduled for the day. Theywere also provided a laboratory coat, a pair of safetygoggles and a book on experimental chemistry (Generalchemistry experiments by Anil J Elias, UniversitiesPress, 2002).

LECTURE WORKSHOPSJointly sponsored by IASc (Bangalore),INSA (New Delhi) and NASI (Allahabad)

1. Evolutionary biology: 150 yearsafter DarwinAbasaheb Garware College, Pune12 – 14 February 2009

Convener: Milind G Watve, Abasaheb Garware College,Pune.

Co-ordinator: Maithili Jog, Abasaheb Garware College,Pune.

Speakers: Madhav Gadgil (Agharkar Research Institute,Pune), V Nanjundiah, S Mahadevan (Indian Institute ofScience, Bangalore), Amitabh Joshi (JNCASR,Bangalore), Anil Gore (Pune), Neelesh Dhanukar,R Umashankar, K N Ganeshaiah (University ofAgricultural Sciences, Bangalore), T R Rao, M G Watve(Abasaheb Garware College, Pune), Suthirth Dey(IISER, Pune), Partha Majumdar (ISI, Kolkata), K SNagaraja.

Participants: About 107 students/teachers frominstitutions in and around Pune.

Topics covered: Major transitions in evolution; evolutionand chance; evolution as an experimental science;experimental design to study evolution; evolutionarygame theory; parent offspring conflict in plants; evolutionof insect plant mutualism; evolutionary psychology; onthe interface of ecology and evolution; origin of geneticvariation; drawing evolutionary inferences from DNAsequences; evolutionary medicine; evolution oflanguages.

2. Frontiers in chemistryNational College, Tiruchirappalli13 – 14 March 2009

Convener: M Palaniandavar, Bharathidasan University,Tiruchirappalli.

Co-ordinator: M Murali, National College, Tiruchirappalli.

Speakers: M Periasamy (University of Hyderabad,Hyderabad), P K Das, S Natarajan, B R Jagirdar (IISc,Bangalore), P R Athappan, R Ramaraj (Madurai KamarajUniversity, Madurai), M S Balakrishna, K P Kaliappan(IIT, Bombay), V Subramanian (Central LeatherResearch Institute, Chennai), P Ramamurthy (Universityof Madras, Chennai).

Participants: About 210 students from various collegesin Tiruchirappalli.

Topics covered : Methods and materials of organicsynthesis; femtochemistry; our dwindling fossil fuels;DNA targetted metal complexes; new manifestationsof inorganic co-ordination chemistry; designing andfine tuning of phosphorus-based ligands; organicsynthesis; self-assembly and structural motifsin molecular clusters; nanostructured metal particlesembedded in assembly systems; fluorescencespectroscopy and its applications.

3. Nanoscience and technologyYenepoya University, Mangalore23 – 24 March 2009

Convener: K J Rao, IISc, Bangalore.

Co-ordinator: Syed Akheel Ahmed, YenepoyaUniversity, Mangalore.

Speakers: S B Krupanidhi, KBR Varma, S Sampath,K K Nanda, Satish Patil (IISc, Bangalore)

Participants: About 260 students/teachers from variouscolleges in Mangalore.

Topics covered: Nanomaterials for disease fighting;quantum dots and device applications;multifunctionalities of glass nanocrystals; nanomaterialsin electrochemistry; organic nanomaterials for energydevices; applications of nanostructural materials.

4. Frontiers in chemistryHKRH College, Uthamapalayam27 – 28 March 2009

Convener: M Palaniandavar, Bharathidasan University,Tiruchirappalli.

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Co-ordinator: S A Noor Mohamed, HKRH College,Uthamapalayam.

Speakers: C Srinivasan, R Ramaraj, S Rajagopal,K Pitchumani (Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai);S Natarajan (IISc, Bangalore); P T Manoharan,P Selvam, (IIT Chennai); R Murugavel,K P Kaliappan (IIT Mumbai) M Palaniandavar, aElangovan (Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirapalli).

Participants: About 251 students/teachers from variousinstitutions in and around Madurai.

Topics covered: The fascinating nanoforms of carbon;from co-ordination chemistry to materials chemistry;nanoscience and nanotechnology; photoprocesses;

introduction to supramolecular chemistry; nanomaterialsin confined environment; Lewis octet; organic synthesis;from a simple organic molecule to a drug.

5. Advances in chemical sciencesMangalore University, Mangalagangothri4 – 5 April 2009

Convener: K L Sebastian, IISc, Bangalore.

Co-ordinator: J Ishwara Bhat, Mangalore University,Mangalagangothri.

Speakers: K L Sebastian, S Sampath (Indian Instituteof Science, Bangalore), K G George Thomas,C H Suresh (NIIST, Thiruvananthapuram).

Participants: About 111 students/teachers from variouscolleges/institutions in Mangalore.

Topics covered: Strange and (beautiful) world ofquantum mechanics; molecular devices and motors;atom/molecule-up synthesis of nanostructures;electrochemical energy systems and electrochemicalbiosensors; introduction to nanomaterials; surfaceplasmon resonance in metal nanoparticle; application

of computational chemistry; theoretical revisiting of(S)-proline catalysed intermolecular Aldol reaction.

6. The fundamental concepts ofmobile communicationGauhati University, Guwahati6 April and 18 May 2009

Convener: Abhijit Mitra, IIT, Guwahati.

Speaker: Abhijit Mitra, IIT, Guwahati.

Participants: 150 students from the ECE Departmentof Guwahati University.

Topics covered: Introductory concepts of mobilecommunication.

7. Recent advances in spectros-copy: theory, instrumentation andapplicationsKarnatak University, Dharwad17 – 18 April 2009

Convener : E Arunan, IISc, Bangalore.

Co-ordinator: Jagdish Tonannavar, Karnatak University,Dharwad.

Speakers: E Arunan, S Umapathy (IISc, Bangalore);Sanjay Wategaonkar (TIFR, Mumbai), B P Singh,TapanKundu (IIT, Mumbai).

Participants: 118 students/teachers from the universityand colleges in Dharwad.

Topics covered: Why atoms/molecules absorbradiation?; atomic physics & diatomic molecules: basicspectroscopic instrumentation and experimental set-up; femtosecond photophysics; optical and molecularprobe for sensors; molecular beam microwavespectroscopy; laser spectroscopy; spectroscopy ofmolecules and clusters.

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8. Frontier lectures in bio-organicchemistryBangalore University, Bangalore28 – 29 May 2009

Convener: S Chandrasekaran, IISc, Bangalore.

Co-ordinator: V V Sureshbabu, Bangalore University,Bangalore.

Speakers: P Balaram, Santanu Bhattacharya,R Varadarajan, S Chandrasekaran, S Vijaya (IISc,Bangalore), K N Ganesh (IISER, Pune), NitishMahapatra, S Baskaran (IITM, Chennai).

Participants : Over 200 students/teachers fromBangalore University and colleges.

Topics covered : Probing of enzyme mechanism; DNAbinding ligand design; design of protein-based molecularswitches and immunogens; 4-aminoproline-basedcollagen mimetics; synthetic studies of peptides;physiological anti-hypertensive peptides; developmentof new synthetic methods; molecular and biochemicalstudies of flaviviral replication.

9. Plant genetic resources:mapping utilization and conser-vationVIT University, Vellore23 – 25 July 2009

Convener: R Uma Shaanker, University of AgriculturalSciences, Bangalore.

Co-ordinator: R Siva, VIT University.

Speakers: S Natesh (Dept. of Biotechnology, NewDelhi), K N Ganeshaiah, Uma Shaanker (University ofAgricultural Sciences, Bangalore), K V Krishnamurthy(Bharathidasan University, Trichy), Vasudevan (Forestry

College, Sirsi), G N Hariharan (MSSRF, Chennai),R Siva (VIT University, Vellore), P Nagarajan (TNAU,Coimbatore), G Ravikanth (ATREE, Bangalore), AmitAgarwal (Natural Remedies Pvt. Ltd. Bangalore).

Participants: Around 175 students/teachers frominstitutions in Vellore.

Topics covered: Plant genetic resources of India;mapping life; indigenous knowledge system and IPR;estimating plant diversity; prospecting plant geneticresources; prospecting endophytic fungi and other lesserknown taxa; molecular makers and its applications;molecular mapping of WBPH resistance gene in ricewith; conservation of forest genetic resources in theWestern ghats; plant genetic resources and industry.

10. Applications of nonlineardynamics in engineering andtechnologyPSG College of Technology, Tiruchirappalli30 July – 1 August 2009

Convener: M Lakshmanan, Bharathidasan University,Tiruchirappalli.

Co-ordinator: R Amuda, PSG College of Technology,Tiruchirappalli.

Speakers: M Lakshmanan (Bharathidasan University,Tiruchirappalli), K Ganesan (VIT University, Vellore),Rama Mohan (CMMACS, Bangalore), G Ananthakrishna(IISc, Bangalore), Sudeshna Sinha (IMSc, Chennai), KMurali (Anna University, Chennai), R Shankaranarayanan(National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirapalli), ArulLakshminarayanan (IIT, Chennai).

Participants : 150 participants from various institutionsin and around Coimbatore.

Topics covered : Introduction to nonlinear dynamics;applications of transforms; brain machine interface;dynamics and rheology of periodically modelling forcedsuspensions; modelling the realistic nonlinear systems;computing with chaos; chaos in electrical circuits;quantum computing; chaos: from pendulum to nucleus.

11. Biocatalysis for industry,medicine and environmentSri Sathya Sai University, Prashanthi Nilayam11 – 13 August 2009

Convener: V Chandrasekhar, IIT, Kanpur

Co-ordinator: C Janardhana, Sri Sathya Sai University,Prashanthi Nilayam

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Speakers: Mukesh Doble (IIT, Chennai),T K Chandrashekar (NISER, Bhubaneswar), SomanathMitra (New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark,NJ), Dinesh Jagadeeshan (alumnus of Sri Sathya SaiUniversity, Prashanthi Nilayam), Praveen Vadlani(Kansas State University), V Lakshminarayanan (RRI,Bangalore), Govind Rao, R Sai Sathish (CAST,University of Maryland, Baltimore).

Participants: Around 151 participants

Topics covered: Metathesis – a key reaction; receptorsfor cation and anions; enzymatic degradation of polycarbonates; dispersible nanometal carbon nanotube –hybrids with potential application in homogeneouscatalysis; methanation of carbonates; biofuels andplatform chemicals from agricultural resources:biocatalysis and microbial fermentation;electrochemistry for the study of bio-materials andelectrocatalysis for energy generation; real time bio-process sensors; high-resolution surface plasmoncoupled resonant filter: a low cost analytical tool withapplications in bio-catalysis; medicine and environment;catalysis by molecules and nanoparticles; tissue-engineering; discovery of a novel lipid lowering drug;kinetics of hydrolysis of palm oil by lipase; expandedporphyrins: third order NLO materials; new methods fordevelopment of bioactive lignans based on naturalproducts; biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles.

12. Advancements in chemistryScott Christian College, Nagarcoil21 – 22 August 2009

Convener: R Ramaraj, Madurai Kamaraj University,Madurai

Co-ordinator: Chitra Thomas, Scott Christian College,Nagarcoil

Speakers: Suresh Das, K R Gopidas (NIIST,Thiruvananthapuram), M Palaniandavar (BharathidasanUniversity, Tiruchirappalli), S Rajagopal, K Pitchumani(Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai), S Natarajan(IISc, Bangalore), C Retna Raj (IIT, Kharagpur).

Participants: 206 students/teachers in and aroundNagarcoil.

Topics covered : Structure–function relationship inmetallobiomolecules; cyclodextrins are reactionnanovessels and smart sensors; co-ordination chemistryand ligand reaction in the synthesis of new functionalinorganic compounds; photoresponsive materials forimaging and energy harvesting applications; reactionof aromatic amines with Cu (II) in acetonitrile; lanthanidebeta-diketonate complexes as emitting materials inorganic light emitting diodes; carbon nanostructures.

13. Integrated approach towardsunderstanding DarwinismNMKRV College for Women, Bangalore4 – 5 September 2009

Convener: K N Ganeshaiah UAS, Bangalore

Co-ordinator: B S Nirmala Shankar, NMKRV Collegefor Women, Bangalore

Speakers: M G Narasimhan (NIAS, Bangalore),V Nanjundiah, Dipankar Nandi (IISc, Bangalore),K N Ganeshiah (University of Agricultural Sciences,Bangalore), Shobini Rao (NIMHANS, Bangalore), SuhelQuader (NCBS, Bangalore).

Participants : 270 students/teachers from variouscolleges in Bangalore.

Topics covered : Charles Darwin – a complete biologist;evolution of love and hate in plants and animals;immune system: an evolutionary perspective; evolutionof human mind; evolution of evolutionary biology.

14. Statistics in ecology andenvironmental studiesBYK (Sinnar) College of Commerce, Nashik5 – 6 September 2009

Convener: A P Gore, Pune

Co-ordinator: M B Kulkarni, BYK (Sinnar) College ofCommerce, Nashik

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PLATINUM JUBILEEPROGRAMMES

Speakers: Anil Gore, Sharad D Gore, S A Paranjpe,Rajendra L Deopurkar Praveen Saptarshi (university ofPune), Shyam Ashtekar (yeshwantrao ChavanUniversity), Madhav Gadgil (Agharkar ResearchInstitute, Pune), Madhav Kulkarni, S N Kulkarni (B YK College, Nashik), Leena Pathak (HPT Arts and RYKScience College, Nashik), Milind Watve (IISER, Pune),

Participants: Around 174 students and teachers inand around Nashik.

Topics covered: Why statistics?; status of publichealth in rural and urban India; involving people inmonitoring and managing India's environment; genderbias and incidence of malaria; biofertilizers – ecofriendlybacteria; environmental laws; microbial diversity: theunexplored world; environmental sampling; principalcomponent analysis in biology; mathematics forbiologists; the bridge on the river ‘why’.

15. Frontiers in astronomy andcharacterization of new materialsCBKB Science College, Akkalkot10 – 12 September 2009

Conveners: P C Agrawal, (TIFR, Mumbai) and SulabhaK Kulkarni, (IISER, Pune).

Co-ordinator: K V Zipare, CBKB College, Akkalkot

Speakers: P C Agrawal, D Narasimha (TIFR, Mumbai);G S Shahane (Dayanand College, Solapur); SulabhaK Kulkarni (IISER, Pune); Sudha Bhoraskar,V P Godbole (University of Pune)

Patrika 49 reported on some of the Platinum Jubileeprogrammes up to March 2009. The following is a listof events from April to September 2009.

1. Michael Balter (Contributing Correspondent, ScienceAdjunct Professor of Journalism, Boston University)

What made humans modern? A look at human evolutionthrough the eyes of a science journalist

(a) 4 April 2009India International Centre, New Delhi

(b) 6 April 2009Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad

(c) 7 April 2009B M Birla Science Centre, Hyderabad

(d) 8 April 2009IITM, Chennai

Summary: Humans are capable of incredible creativity.We make art, music, and literature, and our everydaylanguage is colourful and innovative. As one researcherput it, we are the ‘symbolic species.’ What are the rootsof this symbolism, and why and how did we evolvethese abilities? We cannot find the answer by simplylooking for the earliest works of art, such as cavepaintings, because we cannot be sure that even earlierexamples of symbolic behaviour have been lost overtime; and since language does not fossilize, we cannotknow how long ago our ability to talk to each otherevolved. Instead we must look for ‘proxy’ indications inthe archaeological record, such as the ability to makesophisticated tools and the use of coloured pigments.This search leads us to hominid species that predateHomo sapiens, and raises important questions abouthow and why such abilities helped us to survive overthe ages.

2. Marc Fontecave: (College de France, Paris) RamanProfessor, Indian Academy of Sciences

Hydrogen: water, sun and catalysts

22 April 2009Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore

Participants: 205 students and faculty from collegesin Akkalkot, Solapur and Gulbarga

Topics covered: An inventory of Universe; solaractivity; non-magnetic materials for ferro-fluidapplication; constituents and condition of stars; X-rayastronomy view of Universe; nanophase materials andnanotechnology; properties of materials; history of theUniverse.

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Summary: One of the grand challenges of twenty-firstcentury chemistry is to convert abundant energy-poormolecules to energy-rich molecules using sunlight asthe energy source. Hydrogen from water is such asolar fuel. However its production and use currentlydepend on noble metals such as platinum which isexpensive and not abundant enough. Viable renewableenergy systems will require new catalysts made fromearth-abundant materials, cheap and robust. The lecturedescribed bioinspired strategy, aiming at reproducinghydrogenase active sites, which leads to remarkablecobalt-based and nickel-based (photo) catalysts forhydrogen production.

4. Richard J Roberts: Nobel Laureate, NewEngland Biolabs, Beverly, USA

Genomics of restriction and modification

19 June 2009Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore

3. Madhav Gadgil: (Agharkar Research Institute, Pune)Major transitions in evolution

5 June 2009Manipur University, Imphal

Summary: Life, a manifestation ofreplicating entities with heredity andvariation, has flourished on planet earthover the last 3.8 billion years. It hasexpanded and diversified, occupyingan ever greater range of habitats and

5. Michael Witzel: (Wales Professor of Sanskrit,Department of Sanskrit and Indian Studies, HarvardUniversity, Cambridge, USA)

(a) Origin and development of language in southAsia: Phylogeny vs epigenetics

9 July 2009Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

Summary: This presentation began with a brief

overview of opinions about the origin of human language

and the controversial question of Neanderthal speech.

Quickly moving from the language of the ‘African eve’

to the specific ones of the subcontinent, a brief overview

was given of the prehistoric and current south Asian

language families as well as their development over

the past c. 5000 years. The equivalents of phylogeny

and epigenetics in linguistics were then dealt with, that

is, the successful (Darwinian style) phylogenetic

reconstruction of language families (as ‘trees’), which

is interfered by the separate wave-like spread of certain

features across linguistic boundaries, even across

language families. A combination of both features lead

to the emergence of the current south Asian linguistic

area (sprachbund). This development made the structure

of Indo-Aryan, Dravidian or Mund similar to each other

but it could not eliminate most of their individual

characteristics.

(b) The languages and cultures revealed by the Rig

Veda: immigration, localization and convergence

10 July 2009

India International Centre, New Delhi

utilizing newer and newer forms of resources. This hasinvolved the evolution of ever more complex organisms,animal societies and biotic communities. Thisprogressive elaboration of complex forms has beenaccomplished through a diversification of simplerentities, their aggregation and incorporation into higherlevel entities. This has entailed ever more sophisticatedcooperative interactions, supported by a variety of groupcementing forces: genetic similarity, central control,and synergy. Since every replicating entity has atendency of producing more copies of itself, this resultsin a variety of conflicts at many levels, leading tomanifestations such as the proliferation of junk DNA,parent–offspring conflict, and suppression of one humanlanguage by another.

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Summary: The outdated 19th century theory of an‘Aryan invasion’ dominated political discussion for thepast twenty or thirty years. The scholarly facts tell adifferent story. The linguistic data clearly indicate thederivation of Rigvedic Sanskrit from Indo-Iranian andIndo-European (and not an ultimate Indian origin). Thesame applies to the poetics, ritual, mythology and mostof the religion of the Rig Veda. However, the 'lower,'more popular levels of myth and religion are clearlylocal, as are many words related to village life,agriculture and entertainment. Such words have a non-Indo-European structure and go back neither to Dravidiannor Munda but mostly to a prefixing language, similarto Austro-Asiatic, that must have been spoken in thenorthern Indus plains and in Haryana but that was notrecorded in Indus documents of any substantial length.Interaction between the mainly pastoral Indo-Aryansand the local population of the Greater Panjab, remnantsof the Harappan civilization, resulted in a certain amountof convergence visible in linguistic categories, leadingto the ‘south Asian linguistic area.’ These changesinvolve languages from the Pamirs to Sri Lanka butthey could not erase the inherent nature of thelanguages involved. Similar convergent features canbe seen in the development of Vedic myth and ritual.While most of the deities and rituals are of Indo-Iranian(or even Indo-European age), a number of possibleslight adjustments to local pre-Vedic, that is, post-Indus, religion and ritual may be discerned. Theemerging scenario is supported by some features ofpost-Indus (late Harappan) archaeology, notably inGandhara, and by some aspects of human genetics,especially the newly discussed autosomal data. Recentdiscoveries of a large Harappan graveyard in Haryanamay shed further light on the matter.

7. B G Verghese: (Visiting Professor, Centre for PolicyResearch Delhi)

Managing India's diversities

11 August 2009Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore

Summary: India is the most diverse country in theworld and the most stratified over time and space. Thesocial dynamics of the country is bringing ever newerelements, hitherto submerged and oppressed, into the‘mainstream’. This mistakenly suggests growingfragmentation and negative identity politics. In fact,this upwelling from below is converting ‘Bharat’ into‘India’ and has vastly strengthened the roots of

democracy. How we manage this delicate and difficulttransition will determine the future.

8. Ramaswamy R Iyer: (Research Professor, Centrefor Policy Research, New Delhi)

Water policy and science

11 August 2009Raman Research Institute, Bangalore

Summary: Before we consider what kind of scientificgrounding good water policy needs, we must first havea proper understanding of the complexities of water,and be clear about what we mean by the term ‘science’.The lecture began by trying to bring clarity to thesematters and deconstruct some current formulations. Itthen proceeded to identify certain water policy questionswhich would benefit from scientific knowledge.

9. Max Bennett: (Director, BMRI, Head NeurobiologyResearch Centre, University of Sydney, Australia)

Glial cell purinergic synapses in chronic pain, spreadingcortical depression and the BOLD effect in non-invasivebrain imaging

12 August 2009Raman Research Institute, Bangalore

Summary: Chronic neuropathic pain is associated witha spreading inflammatory wave in the spinal cord fromthe site of initial synaptic transmission of the painstimulus in the cord, thus recruiting wide areas ofneuronal activity not implicated in the initial event.

Migraine pain is preceded bya wave of spreadingdepression of cortical neuralactivity, which extends fromone end of the cortex to theother. Much information about

the sites in the brain that function in order for one toexperience pain is obtained through non-invasive brainimaging, which is thought to provide a measure of localneuronal activity through propagation of a wave thatengages and modulates local blood oxygen leveldevelopment (BOLD). It is shown that the waves inthese different phenomena can be quantitativelyaccounted for by the transmission of calcium wavesbetween glial cells, placing this mechanism at the centreof our interests in detecting the cellular signs of painand its amelioration.

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10. T N Narasimhan: (Department of Materials Scienceand Engineering, University of California at Berkeley)

Water: Emerging challenge for India's brightest

25 August 2009Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai

Summary: India’s water resources are finite, and thereare good reasons to believe that India may already beat the threshold of over-utilizing its available resources.India does not have a coherent national water policy,and water use is unregulated, even as industrial andurban development proceed at a feverish pitch. Withoutbringing order and discipline into water management,India's economic expectations will be seriouslyjeopardized. Sustainable management of India's waterresources requires knowledge of delicately interlinkedearth systems, complicated by human attitudes andaspirations. Wise management of India’s waterresources offers enormous technical and humanchallenges. For civilized human survival on a finite,interconnected earth, technology must adapt to thenature of earth systems. Such an adaptation will havea chance of success only if India's brightest takes theearth as seriously as it takes physical and biologicalsciences. The talk provided a glimpse into the scientificand human dimensions of India's water resourcessituation.

11. Meera Kosambi: (Former Professor & DirectorResearch Centre for Women's Studies, SNDT Women'sUniversity, Mumbai)

Dr Anandibai Joshee: The achievement and iconizationof India's first woman doctor

15 September 2009Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology

Summary: Anandibai Joshee graduated from theWoman's Medical College of Pennsylvania in the USAin March 1886 to become India's first woman doctor.

The Council of the Indian Academy of Sciences had,in January 2003, constituted a committee to addressissues concerning women scientists. This led to theformation of a Panel ‘Women in Science’ (WiS), inJanuary 2005, to study the current status of womenscientists as well as the problems faced by them, inthe Indian context, and to recommend suitable remedialmeasures.

The Panel, currently chaired by Rohini M Godbole,has the following members:

· Vineeta Bal (National Institute of Immunology,New Delhi)

· R J Hans-Gill (Panjab University, Chandigarh)

· Raghavendra Gadagkar (IISc, Bangalore)

· Vidyanand Nanjundiah (IISc, Bangalore)

· Ramakrishna Ramaswamy (JNU, New Delhi)

· Pratima Sinha (Bose Institute, Kolkata)

Some of the major initiatives so far undertakenby the Panel include:

Role model programme

This programme helps women students to interact withworking scientists and help them in their career, bothacademic and social, by conducting a series of nationalseminars under the broad programme ‘Women inscience: A career in science’. In these seminars womenscientists talk about their work, usually followed by apanel discussion on issues of women in science. Thepanel includes speakers as well as invitees who havegiven a serious thought to the subject. The seminarsalso provide information on career options for womenin the field of science, which will hopefully inspire andmotivate young women to take up a career in science.The seminars organized so far by the WiS Panel arelisted below:

(a) Venue: Cochin University of Science andTechnology, Cochin 5 April 2008

(b) Venue: St. Xavier's College, Ahmedabad13 September 2008

(c) Venue: Sanatana Dharma College, Alappuzha29 November 2008

(d) Venue: IIT, Madras20 December 2008

WOMEN IN SCIENCE

Unfortunately she died thefollowing year in India at theage of barely 22. But shehas been iconized in various‘at times contradictory’ waysin two biographies (oneAmerican and one Marathi)and a biographical novel(Marathi, later translated into English) This lecturecontextualized Anandibai within India’s social reformmovement, analysed her biographies, and also exploredher feminism and nationalism.

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Discussion session: Women in science

The 74th Annual Meeting of the Academy held at IITDelhi included a discussion session on Women inScience on 1 November 2008. The members whoparticipated were Vineeta Bal, Raghavendra Gadagkar,Saman Habib, Indira Nath and Sujatha Ramdorai. Therewas a lively discussion between the panel and theaudience and many relevant points were made. Issuessuch as gender bias, under-representation and promotionof women in science were discussed at length. Thesummary of these discussions will form the basis of apossible position paper on the subject.

‘Lilavati's daughters: The women scientists of India’

This publication of the Academy, coedited byRamakrishna Ramaswamy and Rohini Godbole, wasreleased by the President of the Academy,D Balasubramanian, during the Annual Meeting of theAcademy on 31 October 2008. It is a collection of(auto)biographical essays of about 100 women scientistsfrom India. Covering a range of disciplines, these womenscientists talk of what brought them to science, whatkept their interests alive, and what helped them achievesome measure of distinction in their careers. Whatmakes a successful career in science possible? Manyanswers to this question can be found in these essays.The book is directed towards the reading public. Ayoung student with research ambitions will find this animportant collection where she or he can learn first-hand of women who functioned and achieved their goalsin the Indian social and academic environment. Otherswill also find the essays to be of value and interest forwhat they say, and, as is often the case for what theydo not say…

Reviews and feedback about Lilavati's daughters

Since its release, the book has been getting positivefeedback from readers with several interesting reviewsin journals such as Nature (Vol. 460, 27 August 2009,p.1082) and Chemical & Engineering News and reviewsin newspapers and magazines such as The Hindu, TheIndian Express, Deccan Herald and The Mint. Thevolume has already been translated and published intoother Indian languages such as in Loksatta (Marathi),Sandarbh and Srote (Hindi). Translation into otherlanguages is in progress and efforts will be made tomake the book reach as many people as possible.

The Department of Science & Technology, NewDelhi is also helping in promoting the book by releasingfunds for distributing 1000 copies of the book in Indiaand abroad.

Study of ‘leaky pipeline’

A survey entitled 'Trained scientific woman power: Howmuch are we losing and why?' aims at identifying womenwho have a PhD in pure and applied sciences,engineering and medicine but have chosen, for variousreasons, careers that do not make use of their academicqualification. The survey also includes men and womenwho are practising science at different levels, with aview to understanding factors responsible for the lossof women scientists in our country (leaky pipeline).Separate databases with over 2000 women scientistsand 400 men scientists have been created andquestionnaires sent to them. The unique feature of thissurvey is the participation by both natural and socialscientists in its formulation. With the data collectionpart of the survey completed, the analysis of the datais in progress and a report of the study is expected bythe end of this year.

The Academy particularly seeks the assistance of itsFellowship in furthering the role model programme byconducting more seminars in the country. Suggestionsfrom Fellows for further programmes to be institutedunder the activities of the Panel are also welcome.

POST-SCHOOL SCIENCETEACHING PROGRAMMES

This Academy, along with INSA (New Delhi) and NASI(Allahabad), has been jointly coordinating and supportingseveral programmes relating to science education inthe country. These are under the overall supervision ofthe combined Science Education Panel which hasmembers representing the three Academies. In 2006,the three Academies had jointly submitted a proposal tothe Planning Commission for investments in highereducation in science during the XI Plan and modalitiesfor utilization of the resources. The Panel has alsobeen taking up important issues relating to scienceeducation at UG/PG and research levels in ouruniversities and colleges. It has held discussions withgroups of teachers at various meetings of the Academy

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on improvements in the existing situation as well aspossible new initiatives. On 24 May 2008, a one-daymeeting jointly supported by the three Academies washeld at Bangalore to discuss specifically the conceptof a 4-year BS programme for the country. Severalheads of institutions, concerned individuals and manyFellows in Bangalore participated in the meeting.

Based on inputs received, a Position Paper was draftedby a group which included N Mukunda, S C Lakhotia,R C Budhani, B M Deb, V Balaji, N Sathyamurthy andS Umapathy. The draft was discussed by Councils ofthe three Academies. A final document entitled‘Restructuring post-school science teachingprogrammes’ incorporating the comments received wasjointly released. This was sent to heads of severalGovernment science agencies, Vice-Chancellors,Science Advisory Committees and Councils of thecountry, the Prime Minister, Deputy Chairman of thePlanning Commission, and Central Ministers for HRDand S&T.

An executive summary of the document appears inAnnexure-1. Two major components of the documentare: improvements in the present curricula and patternsof teaching sciences at UG and PG levels, theintroduction initially in selected institutions of a new 4-year BS Programme after the 12th Standard. TheAcademies hope that this will give an opportunity toconsiderably improve the quality, content and integrityof teaching the fundamentals of the sciences to ourmost talented students, preparing them in a much betterway than presently for careers in research as well asteaching.

A special brainstorming session to present thisdocument and have extensive discussions on it washeld at INSA, New Delhi on 12 January 2009 attendedby a large number of heads/representatives of agencies,institutions, including UGC, AICTE, MHRD, DST, ICMR,Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to PrimeMinister, and Fellows of the Academies. Based on thediscussions at this meeting, the Science Academieshave made several recommendations for implement-ation. These are summarized in Annexure-2.

The Academy offices were functioning from two floorsin two different buildings (total floor area 700 sq.m)housing over 55 members of permanent and temporary

BUILDING – ADDITIONALOFFICE SPACE

staff. Considerable expansion of the present activitiesas well as new ones in recent times has severelyconstricted the working space for staff. To ease thesituation, it was decided in 2007 to construct anadditional second floor over the existing old building ofthe Academy. The construction was started in late2007 and the new floor was completed and taken overin March 2009. An additional office space of 633 sq.mthus became available. This floor now houses thepublication staff of Current Science and some of theAcademy journals besides two meeting rooms. Anannexe was also added to house the despatch section,computer servers, UPS/electrical units, a seminar room,an archives room, and a staff lounge. The total costof construction including the interiors amounted to Rs133.50 lakhs.

Tanjore Ramachandra Anantharaman (elected 1964),was born on 25 November 1927 in Tanjore, Tamil Naduto Appaswami Ramachandra Iyer and Saradambal. He

OBITUARIES

obtained the BSc (Hons) degreein chemistry of MadrasUniversity in 1947 and a BE inmetallurgy in 1950 from theIndian Institute of Science (IISc)in 1950. The MSc degree inmetallurgical chemistry followedin 1951 by doing research at theMadras University in 1951.

Following his outstanding educational career whereinhe secured the first rank in all public examinations, hewas awarded the coveted Rhodes Scholarship in 1951for doctorate research in physical metallurgy at theOxford University in England. He joined the TrinityCollege in Oxford and qualified for the DPhil (Oxon) in1954.

Anantharaman's professional career began in 1949 witha summer assignment as Nuffield Vacation Scholar atthe Steel Plants of Newcastle and Port Kembla inAustralia. Following his stay at Oxford, he got apost-doctoral research fellowship at the Max-Planck-Institute fuer Metallforschung in Stuttgart, Germanyduring 1954–56 and then became an Assistant Professorof Metallurgy at IISc during 1956–62. In 1962, he joinedthe Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi as a Professorof Metallurgy, a position which he held for over 25years before his formal retirement in 1987 as theseniormost Professor in BHU. During his stay at BHU

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he served the University in various capacities: Head,Department of Metallurgy (1962–77), Dean of Facultyof Engineering and Technology (1971–72), UGC NationalFellow (1972–73), Director, Centre for Yoga (1975–78),Rector (1977–78), Programme Co-ordinator of CAS inMetallurgy (1979–87), Jawaharlal Nehru Fellow(1979–81), Director of Institute of Technology(1981–86) and Member of Executive Council(1982–85). After his retirement from BHU, he joined theThapar Corporate R&D Centre as its Director from1989–92.

Anantharaman's research accomplishments encompassa broad spectrum of topics in physical metallurgy.However, his most creative efforts have centred roundpioneering contributions on rapidly solidified alloys andmetallic glasses. Along with his gifted students, heinnovated new techniques for rapid solidification anddiscovered a variety of metastable phases. He directedmajor national projects on microstructuralcharacterization, metallic glasses and rapidly solidifiediron alloys.

Anantharaman's most significant professionalcontribution has been the building up of postgraduateteaching and doctoral research programmes in the fieldof metallurgy at BHU. Under his leadership, theMetallurgical Engineering Department steadily grew instature from 1962, received the UGC special assistancein 1972 and finally recognized by UGC as a Centre ofAdvanced Study in Metallurgy in 1979. Anotherdimension of his personality relates to Spirituality andReligion, particularly to the Vedic and Yogic traditionsof India going back to over 4000 years and wrote bookson the Bhagavad Gita, Erkenntnis durch Meditation (inGerman), and Ancient Yoga and modern science.

Anantharaman has to his credit over 200 technical andresearch publications, has edited a monograph on‘Metallic glasses’ and co-edited Proceedings of ThreeInternational Conferences (Metal sciences: Theemerging frontiers, 1978; Light metals science andtechnology, 1985; and Advanced techniques formaterials characterization, 1989). His co-authored bookswere Rapidly solidified metals: A technological overview(1987) and, as part of his later involvement in studiesrelated to India's scientific and technological heritage,wrote a monograph entitled The rustless wonder: Astudy of the iron pillar at Delhi (1996).

Anantharaman received several awards andrecognitions: National Metallurgists Day Award of UnionMinistry of Steel and Mines (1964); Shanti SwarupBhatnagar of CSIR for Engineering Sciences (1967);

FICCI Award in Science and Technology (1972); HomiJ Bhabha Award by UGC for Applied Sciences (1974),Vasvik Award in Materials Science (1978); INSABhatnagar Medal (1982), IISc Distinguished AlumnusAward (1982); Tata Gold Metal of IIM (1983); INSAMaterials Science Prize (1987); IIM Platinum Medal(1996); ISCA GP Chatterjee Memorial Award (1997). Hewas elected a Fellow of INSA (1972), the Institute ofMetallurgists, London (1968), Indian National Academyof Engineering (1987) and the American Society ofMaterials (1990).

Anantharaman passed away on 18 June 2009 in USAleaving behind his wife Priyamvada, two sons Thomasand Martin, and a daughter Karuna.

Bhupendra Nath Bhargava (elected 1974) passed awayon 3 August 2009 at his residence in Delhi. He wasborn on 25 December 1919 at Sadabad in UP and hadhis schooling at Rajputana. He did his BSc from Agra

University in 1941, and MSc fromAllahabad University in 1943. Healso had an MS from Ohio StateUniversity in 1947. Before startinghis academic career he workedfor two years at the EngineeringDepartment of All India Radio inNew Delhi (1943–45). He then

joined the services of the India MeteorologicalDepartment at the Astrophysical Observatory inKodaikanal as a Meteorologist looking after the MagneticObservatory and the Ionospheric recording station from1949–60 and then as Assistant Director (1960–65). Hetook over as the Director of Colaba and AlibagObservatories, Mumbai in 1966 and continued there tillhis retirement in 1979. In 1971, these observatorieswere reconstituted as an autonomous research institute,the Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (IIG), and hebecame the first Director of the Institute.

At Kodaikanal, Bhargava was actively engaged inresearch dealing with magnetosphere and ionosphereand took keen interest in generating quality ionogramsand magnetograms that can provide reliable anduninterrupted data. The archives of Kodaikanalionograms are still considered one of the rich treasuresas it provides useful data pertaining to the equatorialregions of the world.

When he came to Colaba, research activity wassomewhat sporadic. He streamlined the process by

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identifying young enthusiastic band of officers, providedthem with enough material and topics for research andensured that high quality scientific publicationscontinued to emanate from them. The autonomy grantedto the Institute enabled Bhargava to give new directionto the Institute by forming distinct groups each chargedwith separate responsibilities: observatory and dataanalysis, solid earth geophysics, upper atmosphericresearch and instrumentation. Lateral induction wasimplemented at different levels to ensure that efficiencyand proficiency did not suffer. Thus, from a largelydata gathering centre, IIG became a premier centre ofexcellence for geomagnetic research in the country.Scientific research activities were organized into dataanalysis, experimental and field work, theoreticalstudies, design and fabrication of instruments, and theirmaintenance.

Bhargava was instrumental in getting recognition to IIGas a postgraduate research centre under the BombayUniversity and several young researchers were able toobtain their PhD degree. His tenure as Director alsosaw a grand expansion of the magnetic observatorynetwork in the country. From only three field stations(Alibag, Annamalainagar, Trivandrum) additional stationsat Ujjain, Jaipur, Shillong and Gulmarg were started bythe time he superannuated providing continuous andinvaluable magnetic data for researchers worldwide.

Bhargava also gave considerable importance tointernational collaboration and cooperative scientificresearch was significantly enhanced with USSR,Australia, USA and other countries. IIG was recognizedas one of the significant contributors to the success ofthe MAGSAT (the first magnetic satellite missionlaunched by NASA). Solid earth geomagnetism, withemphasis on field work, was firmly established withgeomagnetic deep sounding across the country.Theoretical studies into aspects of instabilities in theionosphere and magnetosphere, the phenomena ofgeomagnetic pulsations and substorms, etc. werecarried out. High quality magnetic data from a networkof Indian stations was analysed to bring out severalsignificant features of the low latitude geomagnetic field.Bhargava's own contribution to the understanding ofquasiperiodic oscillations in the geomagnetic field wasglobally recognized. His team also extensively lookedinto the interaction between the solar wind andgeomagnetic changes.

Bhargava is survived by his wife, Pushpa, a son anda daughter.

Maroli Krishnayya Chandrashekaran (elected 1983)passed away after a brief illness on 2 July 2009. Hewas born in the Salem Town of the then Madras Stateon 4 January 1937. After his matriculation in 1953, he

studied first at St. Aloysius’College in Mangalore and thenat the Presidency College inMadras from where he got hisBSc in 1958 and MSc securinga first-class-first-rank in 1960.He also completed his PhD in1964 from Madras University.

Between 1964 and 1975 MKC (as he was known)worked at the University of Tübingen (as GermanAcademic Exchange Scholar 1964–65, Alexander vonHumboldt Scholar 65–67, DFG Research Associate70–75 and the University of California, Berkeley(Miller Invitation Fellow 1968–70). He was also aregular visitor to the University of Munich between1981 and 1996. Returning to India, he joined the MaduraiKamaraj University as a Reader (1975–80), laterbecoming Professor (in 1980) and Head, Departmentof Animal Behaviour and Physiology (from 1985 to1996). From 1994 to 1996 he was a Senior Professorand coordinator of the School of BiologicalSciences. At the University he was also involvedin policy-making roles as a member of theSyndicate (1994–96), Chairman of the SyndicateCommittee and as acting Vice-Chancellor in 1996.

In 1996 he moved over to Bangalore to set up theAnimal Behaviour unit in the newly establishedJawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced ScientificResearch and chaired the unit from 1996–97. In 1997he became the Astra Zeneca Research Professor ofLife Sciences and headed the renamed unit(Evolutionary and Organismal Biology Unit) as itsChairman.

Early in his research career, MKC got interested inbiological clocks, especially the one involved inmaintaining the day-night (circadian) timing systemthat regulates adult emergence (eclosion) in the fruitfly Drosophila pseudoobscura. Starting with studieson the effect of light, temperature, spectral compositionof light, ‘dawn’ and ‘dusk’, he became involved in moreconceptual studies on phase response curves,transients, coupled oscillators and the much-soughtsingularity predicted by dynamical models. AtMadurai he switched over to studies on rhythms in

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bats, mice and humans. Most of his landmark studieson ecological and socio-biological significance ofcircadian clocks were performed in the eighties. Heand his students showed that bats can communicateinformation about local time to each other, and thatthe mother mouse can regulate the activity/restbehaviour of her pups. MKC was always fond ofneurobiology and with his collaborators in Germanyand his students in Madurai he set up a facilityto record electrical activities from the bat brain.

The circadian rhythm work carried out in Maduraimade his group known internationally. It involved inroughly equal parts the study of phenomenaassociated with rhythmicity in insectivorous bats,field mice and humans. With Marimuthu andSubbaraj, he reported that social cues fromconspecifics could synchronize the light activityrhythm in Hipposideros speoris. The groupgenerated the first dark-pulse phase responsecurve in chronobiology, on the tomb bat Taphozousmelanopogon; it was the mirror image of the lightpulse phase response curve for the same animal. H.speoris was shown to be capable of respondingto the dimmest intensity (5% of starlight) and shortestduration (0.0625 msec) of light found to entrain orphase-shift a circadian rhythm. With Viswanathan,he discovered that the circadian clock of thenewborn pups in the field mouse Mus booduga wasentrained by an unusual, but in hindsight perfectlyunderstandable, social cue, namely the presence andabsence of its mother. There was also an endogenouscomponent to the pup's rhythm and the entrainmentworked only within limits. With Vijay Kumar Sharmahe found that light-induced phase shifts in Musbooduga were sensitive to the spectral composition ofthe light used.

Investigations on human circadian rhythms couldbegin only after the arduous process involved in theconstruction of an ‘isolation bunker’ was gone through.The findings were striking. Confirming an olderobservation of Aschoff’s, the subjective estimation ofshort intervals of time was positively correlated withthe period of wakefulness – almost as if the bodyknew at the time of waking when it would go to sleepthat night. The female menstrual cycle was not coupledto the cycle of sleep and wakefulness. Similarly, therhythms of body temperature and sleep-wakefulnesscould get desynchronized. Curiously, and contrary tocommon belief, the length of sleep did not depend onthe duration of wakefulness that preceded it.Occasionally a 32-hour period of wakefulnesspreceded 16 hours of sleep, adding up to a

circabidian (approximately two-day) rhythm of 48 hours.An interesting consequence was that theinterval between meals got enormously lengthened.

At Bangalore despite many administrative responsibilitieshe managed to contribute to significant experimentalfindings. The eclosion rhythm inD. melanogaster persisted after as many as 600generations in an aperiodic environment, hinting that alapse from rhythmicity – or something with whichit was tightly correlated – was strongly disfavoured.Observations on the rhythm of oviposition pointed tothe presence of at least three different circadianoscillators underlying locomotor activity, eclosionand oviposition, respectively.

MKC published over 140 papers in internationaljournals on the physiology and behaviouralexpressions of circadian rhythms in an intertidalcrab, plants, fruit flies, two species ofCalifornian grasshoppers, three species of insectivorousbats, the palm squirrel, the field mouse and humansubjects. He authored books on biological rhythms(1985 and 1987) and animal behaviour (1987).A scientific monograph summarizing his researcheswas published as a JNCASR monograph in 2003.

MKC was the recipient of numerous awards andhonours. The S S Bhatnagar Prize (1979), theJ C Bose Prize (1989), Aschoff’s Rule Prize (1991),UGC National Fellowship, UGC NationalLectureship and DST–SERC National Lectureshipwere among these.

MKC served on the Council of the Academy from 1992to 1997 and edited two of the Academy's journals:Journal of Biosciences (1991–97) and Resonance:Journal of Science Education (2003–05).

MKC is survived by his wife Shashikala and twodaughters, Sujata and Sonali.

Swami Dayal Nigam (elected 1975) was born in Agraon 7 May 1924 and had his early education in AgraCollege. He completed his doctorate in Agra Universityunder the supervision of S N Ray in the area of

mathematical fluid dynamics. Heworked in Agra College for sometime before moving to the IndianInstitute of Technology,Kharagpur as a faculty in theDepartment of Naval Architecture.

In 1964 Nigam moved to theIndian Institute of Technology

25

(IIT) Madras as Professor and Head of the Departmentof Mathematics. He was instrumental in establishing astrong group of both pure and applied mathematiciansat Madras. Though a hard core applied mathematicianworking in fluid mechanics, he encouraged research indiverse areas of analysis and applications.

Nigam has numerous publications in internationaljournals. A noteworthy contribution is a paper titled,‘Note on the boundary layer on a rotating sphere’(Z. Angew. Math. Physik, 5, 1954, 151–155) when heextended Howarth's treatment of the problem ofboundary layer on a rotating sphere and establishedthe existence of radial inflow from the pole to alatitude of θ = 540 45/ and outflow between thislatitude and the equator. His results confirmedHowarth's conjectures better than the approximatesolution provided by Howarth himself. Thispaper attracted the attention of eminent scholars andopened fresh avenues of research in this area. Thispaper received wide citation during the period1955–70. He retired from IIT Madras in 1984 butcontinued to help students and research scholars.

Nigam had a mild stroke in late 2008 and succumbedto cardiac arrest on 3 May 2009 leaving behind hiswife, Savitri Nigam, and a son, Rakesh Nigam.

Ajit Ram Verma (elected 1974) was born on 20September 1921 at Dalmau near Lucknow. After earlyeducation at several places including Allahabad andMeerut he passed his BSc (1940) and MSc (1942, goldmedallist) from the Allahabad University. Even though

he was a topper in MSc(Physics) he opted to pursue acareer in research rather thangoing for administrativeservices. After a short periodas Research Scholar atAllahabad, he was appointedLecturer in Physics at the

University of Delhi in 1947. During 1950–55, he workedat the University of London and made well-knowncontributions on the observation and study ofunimolecular growth spirals on the surfaces of siliconcarbide crystals. He was awarded PhD in 1952 andDSc in 1969, both from the University of London. Afterserving as Reader in Physics for four years (1955–59)at the University of Delhi, he moved to BHU, Varanasias Professor and Head of Department of Physics in1959. In 1965, he was appointed Director of National

Physical Laboratory (NPL), New Delhi which he servedtill 1982. Thereafter, for three years, he served asVisiting Professor at IIT Delhi and as Jawaharlal NehruFellow. He then worked as CSIR Emeritus Scientistand INSA Senior Scientist at NPL.

Verma established three very active schools of researchin crystallography, one each at the University of Delhi,BHU (Varanasi) and NPL (New Delhi). In 1951, usingphase contrast microscopy, he provided the firstunequivocal experimental evidence in support of screwdislocation theory of crystal growth of millimetric sizes.He used phase contrast microscopy to study the crystalsurfaces of SiC and photographed these ‘nearly invisible’molecular growth spirals. Using multiple-beaminterferometric technique, these molecular growthspirals were shown to be growth hills. The step heightfor 6H, SiC crystal was measured to be 15±1Å, whichstill stands in scientific literature. The latticec-parameter for type 6H SiC as measured by X-rays is15.079 Å, which shows that the measured step-heightis equal to the relevant unit cell dimension. Hence,these spirals were shown to be unimolecular growthspirals originating from screw dislocations. Further, theshapes of these spirals were shown to be completelyin accordance with theory. This work showed the powerof phase contrast microscopy and Zernicke, who haddeveloped this technique nearly twenty years beforethese studies, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physicsin 1953.

The correlation of step heights of growth spirals withthe dimensions of X-ray unit cell had helped in explainingthe phenomenon of polytypism by the screw dislocationtheory propounded by F C Frank. Verma also madevaluable contributions in the pioneering work on directmeasurement of metric thicknesses of Blodgett–Langmuir molecular films. At NPL, in collaboration withKrishan Lal, several original contributions were madein the field of crystal growth and study of latticeimperfections.

At NPL Verma's efforts from 1964–82 were focussedon bringing the Indian National Standards of PhysicalMeasurement to an international level. Also, in placeof artifact standards, work on quantum standards wasundertaken. He laid the foundation for several newareas such as quantum metrology, materials scienceincluding work on electronic materials like silicon andadvanced materials like carbon fibres, high pressure

26

and high temperature synthesis of materials,phosphorous and piezoelectric materials, andconsolidation of advanced materials characterizationactivities. Under his leadership, NPL made a strongimpact at the national and international level. WithKrishan Lal he also worked on crystal growth and latticeimperfections.

Verma authored several books on crystal growth anddislocations, polymorphism and polytypism in crystalsand crystallography for solid state physics. He publishedmore than 100 research papers in journals andcontributed numerous invited papers and book chapters.

Verma received several honours and awards. Some ofthese are: British Council Scholar (University of London)1950–52; ICI Fellowship (University of London)1952–55; Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in Physics1964, Padma Bhushan 1982; and Atma Ram Puraskarin Hindi by Kendriya Sansthan Agra in 1984. He waselected a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences,Allahabad and a member of the Board of Editors ofSolid State Communication, and the InternationalCommittee on Weights and Measures (1966–82).

Verma passed away on 4 March 2009 leaving behindhis wife Sadhana, a son and two daughters.

The enormous potential for India to become a leadingknowledge power in the coming years can be realizedonly if our younger generation has opportunities for all-round good education and training, especially in scienceand technology. Unfortunately, however, the presentstate of higher education in the country is rather poor.In order to make it more relevant to the changing needsof society and thus to propel India to a position ofleading knowledge power, we need massiveinvestments as well as well-planned radical changes inour higher education system. The Science Academieshad, earlier in 2006, submitted a detailed proposal tothe Planning Commission for investments in highereducation in Science during the XI Plan period andmodalities for utilization of the resources. The threeScience Academies of the country are now proposingchanges that are needed in our college and universityeducation in Sciences to meet the emerging challenges.

The major drawbacks of our current post-school scienceeducation are: (1) compartmentalized teaching/learning of a few sub-disciplines of science,(2) time and energy wasted in sequential admissionsto BSc, MSc and PhD programmes, (3) repetition oftopics at BSc and MSc levels, (4) poorlaboratory facilities and consequent poor trainingof students in experimental methods, (5) little exposureto research methodologies, (6) limited optionsfor movement between science and technologystreams.

Keeping these in view, it is suggested that a new 4-year B S programme should be introduced, at selectinstitutions to begin with, which the +2 pass studentscan join. Subsequently, the interested and competentBS qualified students can directly join a dual degreeMSc, PhD programme. If they wish to leave in between,they can do so with an MSc degree alone. Thosequalifying the 4-year BS or the ongoing BTech canmove from basic science to technology and vice versafor further education, leading to MSc/MTech and/or PhD.

Considering the diversity of students’ needs, theirinterests and capabilities on the one hand, and thevaried infrastructure and competence available in thelarge number of teaching institutions in the country onthe other, it is suggested that the existing 3-year BSc,2-year MSc and the integrated MSc or integrated PhDprogrammes may also continue for the time being.

The +2 qualified students would thus have any of thefollowing options for higher studies in science andtechnology.

1) 4-year B S followed by PhD in basic sciences,with a provision for early exit with MSc degreeor dual degrees after completion.

2) 4-year BTech followed by PhD in basic sciences.

3) 4-year BS followed by MTech/PhD in professional(Technology) field.

4) 3-year BSc followed by 2-year MSc and thenPhD or 3-year BSc followed by integrated MScPhD.

5) 3-year BSc followed by 2-year BTech.

6) 5-year integrated MSc followed by PhD.

7) Vocational courses.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Annexure 1: Document on post-school scienceteaching programmes

27

It is essential that all the existing BSc and MSc aswell as the proposed 4-year BS programmes follow thesemester pattern with credit-based courses. The BScor BS curricula must provide a broad-based learningrather than segregating ‘Bio-’ and ‘Math-’ groups veryearly. In addition, opportunities must be available forstudents to take at least 15% of credits through coursesin other science disciplines and in social science/arts,etc. All science courses must have good ‘hands-on’laboratory training. The teaching programmes shouldalso include courses in research methodology andcommunication skills.

There is a strong need for substantial improvement inthe quality and quantity of teachers at college as wellas university levels. Massive efforts for continuingtraining of teachers to keep them abreast ofdevelopments in science are required. A strongexperimentally-oriented science education system wouldrequire massive investments for developing the

necessary infrastructure in universities and colleges

across the country.

V) Vocational courses to facilitate self-

employment.

2. Learning of science (and all other disciplines)

in all the above models must be pyramidal and

not a vertical high-rise. The curriculum must

provide a broad-based training of different

disciplines of scientific enquiry with

specialization introduced as the student

advances in training.

3. All courses should be semester-credit based.

4. The 1st two semesters of the 6 semester (3

years) BSc should provide for learning of all

major science disciplines by all students with

the next four providing core training in 2–3

disciplines; the last 2 semesters may provide

for honours in one or two disciplines.

5. All semesters at BSc and MSc should provide

15–20% credits through courses in disciplines

(in and outside science faculty) other than their

major/honours subjects, including

communication skills.

6. Courses in highly specialized subjects like

biotechnology, bioinformatics, computer

applications, nanotechnology,nanobiotech-

nology, etc. should not be allowed at school

and undergraduate levels.

7. All core courses must provide for 30–40%

credits through laboratory/field work; several of

the lab exercises must be based on open-ended

experiments.

8. Students at MSc level must undertake a

dissertation and prepare a research project

proposal.

9. After completion of the 6 semester BSc,

provision be made for a 2-year BTech/BE

programme.

10. A new 4-year BS Honours programme may be

introduced following which the graduates can

join PhD programme.

A special ‘Brain Storming Session’ to present this

document and have extensive discussions on it was

held at INSA, New Delhi on 12 January 2009 attended

by a large number of heads/representatives of agencies

and institutions, including UGC, AICTE, MHRD, DST,

ICMR, Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to Prime

Minister and Fellows of the Academies. Based on the

discussions at the brain-storming meeting, the Science

Academies recommended the following for

implementation.

1. The following multiple options should be

available to students who have completed +2

level and wish to continue in Science stream:

I) 3-year BSc 2-year MSc, PhD (existing)

II) 5-year Integrated MSc programme,

followed by PhD (existing)

III) 3-year BSc followed by integrated or dual-

degree MSc–PhD programme (existing)

IV) A 4-year BS (Honours) programme

followed by PhD programme, without

the need for a Master’s degree (new,

details given later)

Annexure 2: Recommendations on the post-schoolscience teaching programmes

28

I) The BS (Hons) programme would be credit

based semester system available to those

passing out of the +2 level in sciencestream.

II) The first 4 semesters will cover all major

science streams as core courses.

Students will opt for a major/honours

subject in the last four semesters. Each

semester would have 15–20% credits for

elective courses in other fields, includingcommunication, etc. The last semester

should provide research experience.

III) On successful completion of the 4 year

course, they would be eligible for seeking

admission to PhD programme, since it is

expected that the 4-year period wouldprepare them better than the conventional

3-year BSc + 2-year MSc courses and

any deficit in a specific area can be made

up through courses during PhD.

IV) The first two semesters of PhD programme

will have credit-based lectures as well as

laboratory courses. Those not desiring to

continue with PhD may exit after

successful completion of the course work

with MSc degree.

V) The 4-year BS (Hons) programme should

be introduced only where a good research

base is available.

11. Mobility within basic sciences and between

basic and professional courses should be

facilitated, including for PhD.

12. A system for regulated transfer of credits from

one major to another major within the institute

and also between institutions may be evolved.

13. Vocational courses for those who complete +2

or 3-year BSc, or 2-year BTech after 3-year

BSc should be strengthened so that those not

interested in an academic career can take upself-employment or join appropriate industry.

14. Laboratory training courses should be initiatedto provide for increasing need for laboratorytechnicians in educational/research institutionsand in industry.

15. All science teaching colleges and universitiesmust have adequate laboratory facilities – thismust be rigorously monitored and audited.

16. Simple and exciting experiments, doable withminimal and inexpensive facilities, need to bedesigned and popularized.

17. The existing faculty must have opportunities forcontinuous training in new concepts/techniques.

18. Adequately trained and motivated new teachersshould be regularly appointed on existingvacancies.

19. The Science Academies may assist theimplementing agencies in preparing broadframeworks of syllabi at various levels.

We are particularly grateful to Prof. S D Thorat,Chairman, University Grants Commission, forhaving attended the meeting and for respondingvery encouragingly and supportively to oursuggestions. The attached condensed report onproceedings of the brain-storming session alsoincludes full text of Prof. Thorat's observations.

We are aware that the Science Academies arenot major implementers or executors of policiesand programmes, and can only aspire to act ascatalysts and beacons that try to guide. We ofcourse treat these roles with utmost seriousness.We assure all concerned implementing bodiesand agencies that if they take up some or all ofour recommendations for follow-up actions, theFellowships of our Academies will be happy andwilling to assist in any ways that are needed.

*******************

S/d by Presidents:

IASc, D BalasubramanianINSA, M VijayanNASI, Asis Datta